Why do hundreds of thousands of people need to march to make a point about climate change, a phenomenon backed by science? Just watch a hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and you’ll understand.

On Monday’s episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart played snippets of a recent hearing by the committee, which oversees a $39 billion budget for programs run by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and other groups. It addressed President Obama’s plan to cut U.S. carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

As shown in the clip, members grilled presidential science adviser John Holdren about climate change. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, asked him why “global wobbling” wasn’t included in the models scientists use.

“I mean think about it: If your ice cube melts in your glass, it doesn’t overflow— it’s displacement,” said Stockman. “This is the thing—some of the things they’re talking about, mathematically and scientifically, don’t make sense.”

This prompted Stewart to pull out a glass of water and a bowl of ice, demonstrating how melting works.

The host expressed his sympathy for Holdren, or as he calls him, Sisyphus, “charged with the impossible task of pushing a million pounds of idiot up a mountain.” Stewart also pointed out one reason—more insidious than ignorance—why members of Congress are trying to refute climate change: money. In 2013–2014, Murray Energy, Koch Enterprises, and Peabody Energy were among Stockman’s top campaign donors.

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